Transforming the Nordic Welfare Regime – Tracing Friction in Introducing Welfare Technology

Based on a thematic content analysis of 63 key policy documents from the five Nordic countries, we discuss national strategies about introducing welfare technology to care for older persons. We argue that the Nordic care regime is a central research context in two senses: 1) the tradition of strong states and extensive social rights, and 2) the transformation of welfare states through marketisation and digitalisation, which also underpin welfare technology policies. We contribute to care policy research by contrasting the Nordic strategies and definitions and by identifying friction emerging within and across them. Our analysis shows that, while the overall image of WT policy is rather similar between the Nordic countries, the Danish, Finnish and Norwegian policy documents show signs of the earliest implementation. While the rest of the countries have implemented pilot-based, regional approaches, Denmark has seen a more centrally driven development. Our analysis also identifies friction in the welfare technology policies, portrayed as overly optimistic expectations; contested national rollouts; and financial resources designated for pilots and acquisition but not for maintenance costs. We argue that the notion of friction may support inter-stakeholder communication by providing cues to and making sense of the complexity of welfare technology innovation.